Adjustable indicator.



J; H. HAND.l

ADJUSTABH lNDICATOR. APPLICTION FILED NOV. 4. i912. v v

Patented Aug. 3, 1915.

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JMES H. RAND, OF NEWTON,' MASSACHUSETTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 3,- 1915.

Application filed November 4, 1912. Serial No. 729,341.

To all Lv/wm it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JAMES-H. RAND, a

citizen of the United States, and resident of Newton, in the countyl'of Middlesex and State of lVIa-ssachusetts, have invented new and useful `Improvements in Adjustable Indicators', of which the following is a specication;

My invention relates to adjustable indicators of the type commonly-employed for building' directories and like uses, comprising a frame. and a number of juxtaposed, removable and interchangeable strips or bars desired in formation.

The prinicpal object of my invention is to provide an indicator of this general class or type wherein theindividual character strips or bars may be more. readily removed and interchanged, without disturbing or disarranging the other strips or bars, than 1s possible in the'use of any of the indicators ofl this general type with which I am familiar.

Other improvements and advantages forming part of my invention will behereinafter referred to and pointed out.

Referring to the drawings illustrating an embodiment of my inventiom-Figure l is a front or face view of my improved indicator, partly broken away: Fig. 2 is an en larged sectional-view of said indicator, taken lengthwise of one of the character bars; and Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively a sectional and an end view of one of the'character bars.

The frame of my improved indicator is' preferably l'made-of a suitable sheet metal,

' such as tin, and consists of a back A having side walls A integral therewith. The side walls A are bent inwardly at their tops to form flanges, one of which, as A2, is broader than the other, A3, and is provided with an upturned lip a to facilitate the insertion of the character bars as presently to vbe described. The inwardly facing channelsthus formed constitute marginal barV holders. Within. said frame area plurality of juxtaposed character bars of identical construction. Each of these bars consists of a block or strip B, preferably of wood, and having a plurality of grooves or slots b extending the entire length of said block, adapted removably tol hold the tongues. of letters or characters X which it is desired to display (Fig. 3). The block B is further vprovided upon one bottom edge thereof with a narrow iange or bead b which serves as a spacer s0 that when two or more of said bars are jii'xl.

taposed in said frame, there is agroove or slot therebetween corresponding t'o ltlie slots b 'in the bar, thus giving a uniform appearance to the faceof the indicator. The face or top of the block B, the groove Z) and the sides are preferably covered with flelt or other suitable yielding material b2 as shown. Upon the bottom of the block .B and near each end thereof, there is secured in any suitable manner, as by tacks c,a metal strip C of tin or other suitable material. These strips are bent upward and turned in over the top of the block 'so that the ends of the block are thus metal bound and protected against wear and fraying in rubbingagainst the edges of the fianges A2, A, during insertion and removal from the frame. One

" of said metal strips, C, is bent at its top to form a lip or handlefD, and upon the other of said stripslC thereis mounted a spring E, preferably a coil spring as shown. In inserting one of said character bars in the frame, the end thereof having thespring E thereon, is placed under the flange A2 its insertion being facilitated by the lip a. The y bar is then pressed to the left as viewed in the drawings, whereupon the spring E comes in Contact with the sidewall A', and contintoV ued pressure compresses said spring. llVhen the bar has been pushed to' the left far enough to permit the end provided with the lip D to clear the fiange A3, the bar is brought downI against the back A and rel leased, whereupon the'vspring E expands and pushes the lip carrying end of\the barV 4against the opposite side wall A', thus yieldingly locking the ba'r within the frame, the lip D projecting over the fiange A3 as clearly shown in Fig. l. It will be understood that as all the bars are of identical construction, they are inserted in the precise manner just described, andwhen juxtapf J ed within the frame are suitably'spaced apart by reason of the flanges b. is desired to remove oneJ of said character lVhen, now, it

bars, the user pushes the bar by, means of lip v Thereupon, thev follower;ibut in such constructions the removal of an individual bar of necessity relieves the compression on the Ispring and tends to disarrange the juxtaposed barst particularlythose located vabove the. one re moved. Itwill, I believe, be Yclear 'that in my invention this diliioulty vis wholly elimif; nated; `for as eachbar isprovided with and,

yieldingly locked by .its own individua spring, its removal cannot inl any#- manner'- opposite end a metal strip having la'spring mounted thereon, said spring adapted yieldingly to holdthe lip carrying end of said bar in engagement with the holder.

' An indicator, comprising a frame havng. side walls provided with inwardly ex- Vtending flanges, and a plurality of vremovble and interchangeable character bars,

ach. 'of said bars having a metal strip at one displace or disarr'ange thgpther j]O rs claim: A

springs vbeing normally adapted yieldingly' to hold the oppositeend's of' their respective bars in engagement with Atheir barl holder, each bar having a projection extending from its exposed-f front face.

l2. An indlcator, comprisingairame ha'ving marginal bar holders and a plurality of removable and interchangeable character bars held ali-their' ends by said bar holders,

. each of saidbars` haying a metal'strip at one end providedl with y'an integral lip vand at its sing; ad

nd-providedf'with la lip and atitsopposite endiv a ,metal strip having .a spring mounted thereon-,-v saidgspringadapted yieldingly to,

Holdthei-.lip-carrying endof said bar against a side vvallof said ,frame landbelow the in- -.ward l'y extending flange ofJsaid side wall.

alls provided with inwardly extendinv flanges, .;and aplurality of removable andi-interchangeable character bars, 1

geachof saidbars'having a metal strip at one.

yendfprovide'dfvvith an inte'grallip, and atits l opposite ef'nd a metal strip having a coil 4'sprinf`g-"nr1oun ted thereon, said spring vadapted yieldingly to hold the lip carrying end of said bar against a side wall of said frame A and below the inwardly extending Bange-of said sidewall.`

this. first day of November, 1912.

vWitnesses: i

'CHARLES Woomaieiuzr,l JosEr- HINE H.,RYAN.

Signed by mel at Boston, Massachusetts, JAMES H. RAND. x l 

